Apparatus and method for configuring idle screen

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and a method for configuring an idle screen, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for analyzing functions of a terminal according to a user&#39;s environmental state, and configuring an idle screen in accordance with the analysis. According to the apparatus and method, when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, the terminal determines an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item. When there is a request for displaying an idle screen, the terminal determines a current environmental state item corresponding to the currently environmental state, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to a Korean Patent Application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 4, 2007 and assigned Serial No. 2007-125048, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for configuring an idle screen, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for analyzing functions of a terminal according to a user's environmental state, and configuring an idle screen in accordance with the analysis.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, in a terminal such as a mobile communication terminal, in order to utilize a function of the terminal, a user searches for an established path that allows the user to utilize the corresponding terminal function. Recently, however, as the functions supported by the terminal are diversified and increased in number, the user is forced to search the menu screen every time to utilize the various terminal functions. More recent terminals support a function allowing the user to configure an idle screen with shortcut icons of the terminal functions that the user intends to utilize. This allows the user to directly utilize the desired terminal function by selecting a shortcut icon associated with the corresponding terminal function among the shortcut icons on the idle screen without the need for searching a separate menu screen provided for the terminal functions.

In the configuration described above, when the user wants to utilize a function other than the terminal functions that he/she previously set on the idle screen, the user must reconfigure the idle screen to incorporate a shortcut icon for the corresponding terminal's function.

In addition, since the terminal functions that the user intends to utilize may undergo a change according to environmental state information of the user, such as time, position, weather and temperature, and/or state information of the user, such as the user's mood, the conventional terminal has difficulty in providing a desirable idle screen for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus and method for analyzing terminal functions that a user desires to utilize, according to environmental state information of the user, and for configuring an idle screen suitable to a terminal use pattern of the user.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for configuring an idle screen in a terminal. The apparatus includes a state sensor for sensing an environmental state. The apparatus also includes a memory for storing a plurality of environmental state information items which include at least one environmental state information, and a plurality of terminal function items each associated with one of the plurality of environmental state information items and each comprising at least one terminal function. The apparatus further includes a controller for determining an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing a selected terminal function, and updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, The controller also determines an environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state from the memory when there is a request for displaying an idle screen. The controller extracts one or more terminal functions of a terminal function time corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for configuring an idle screen in a terminal is provided. A plurality of environmental state information items each including at least one environmental state information are stored. A plurality of terminal function items each associated with one of the plurality of environmental state information items and each comprising at least one terminal function are stored. A selected terminal function is performed. When a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, an environmental state information item corresponding to the changed environmental state is determined, and the selected terminal function is updated in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item. When there is a request for displaying an idle screen, a current environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state is determined, one or more terminal functions of a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item are extracted, and the idle screen is configured using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an idle screen configuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating terminal functions corresponding to predetermined environmental state information according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating idle screens configured according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart illustrating a procedure for analyzing terminal functions that a user intends to utilize, depending on the user's environmental state information, and configuring an idle screen depending on the analysis, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar components are designated by similar reference numerals although they are illustrated in different drawings. Detailed descriptions of constructions or processes known in the art may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

FIG. 1 provides a detailed description of a structure and an operation of an apparatus for configuring an idle screen according to a user's environmental state at a terminal. The terminal can be a Personal Computer (PC) or a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and the terminal is assumed herein to be a mobile communication terminal.

A controller 100 controls the overall operation of the mobile communication terminal. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 100 checks if there is a key input for selecting a predetermined terminal function through a key input unit 101. If there is a key input for selecting a predetermined terminal function, the controller 100 senses the current environmental state by means of a state sensor 102. The ‘environmental state’ means the user's surrounding environmental state that undergoes a change according to a periodic or predetermined rule, such as day, time, position, weather and temperature. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 100 can further sense, by means of the state sensor 102, a user state such as mood, temperature and body condition of the user in addition to the current environmental state.

Thereafter, the controller 100 checks an environmental state information item corresponding to the currently sensed environmental state among multiple environmental state information items stored in a memory 104. The controller 100 updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the checked environmental state item. For example, assume that the current environmental state is ‘Day: Tuesday’, ‘Time: 8:00-9:00’, ‘Position: Subway’, ‘Weather: Cloudy’, and ‘Temperature: 12° C.’. If there is a key input for selecting a music function through the key input unit 101, the controller 100 checks an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state shown in an item #2 of FIG. 2 among the environmental state information items stored in the memory 104. The controller 100 updates the music function in the terminal function item corresponding to the checked environmental state information item. For example, if there is a music function among the terminal functions stored in the terminal function item, the controller 100 increases the number of uses of the corresponding music function, and stores (updates) it. If the number of uses of the music function stored in the memory 104 is 4, the updated number of uses of the music function is 5. If there is no terminal function coincident with the music function among the terminal functions stored in the terminal function item, the controller 100 adds the music function to the corresponding terminal function item, and stores it.

The controller 100 performs the selected terminal function operation while updating the selected terminal function in the terminal function item. The controller 100 checks if there is a change in environmental state information sensed through the state sensor 102 in the course of performing the selected terminal function operation. If there is a change, the controller 100 checks an environmental state information list corresponding to the changed environmental state through the memory 104. The controller 100 updates the selected terminal function in the terminal function item corresponding to the checked environmental state information list. The controller 100 then checks if there is a key input for ending the ongoing terminal function operation through the key input unit 101, and if there is the key input, the controller 100 checks the current environmental state sensed through the state sensor 102. The controller 100 checks an environmental state information item corresponding to the currently sensed environmental state among the environmental state information items stored in the memory 104. For example, assume that the user's currently sensed environmental state is ‘Day: Monday’, ‘Time: 8:00-9:00’, ‘Position: Subway’, ‘Weather: Sunny’ and ‘Temperature: 20° C.’. If the current environmental state has changed to the environmental state that ‘Day: Monday’, ‘Time: 9:00-10:00’, ‘Position: Office’, ‘Weather: Sunny’ and ‘Temperature: 22° C.’, the controller 100 checks items corresponding to the current environmental state among the environmental state information items stored in the memory 104. If there is an item corresponding to the current environmental state shown in an item #(n+1) of FIG. 2 among the checked environmental state information items, the controller 100 extracts terminal functions corresponding to the environmental state information item #(n+1), such as music, call, schedule, message, etc. The controller 100 generates shortcut icons of the extracted terminal functions, configures an idle screen with the generated shortcut icons, and then displays it on a display 103. If there is no environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state among the environmental state information items stored in memory 104, the controller 100 continues to display the current idle screen on the display 103.

In the course of performing the selected terminal function operation, if there is a key input for ending the ongoing terminal function operation through the key input unit 101, the controller 100 checks the environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state. The controller 100 extracts the terminal functions corresponding to the checked environmental state information item by means of the memory 104. The controller 100 then generates shortcut icons of the extracted terminal functions, configures an idle screen with the generated shortcut icons, and then displays it on the display 103. For example, assume that a video function, a music function, a message function and a camera function (not shown) are included in a terminal function item corresponding to the current environmental state information item #1 of FIG. 2 on the idle screen configured with 3 shortcut icons. In this case, the idle screen configured with the shortcut icons of the terminal functions can be shown as FIG. 3A. If there is a key input for selecting the camera function from the user, the controller 100 performs a camera function operation while updating the number of uses of the camera function in the terminal function item corresponding to the current environmental state information item #1 of FIG. 2. Thereafter, if there is a request to end the camera function operation, the controller 100 checks the environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state, and extracts 3 terminal functions among the terminal functions corresponding to the checked environmental state information item in descending order of the number of uses. If the 3 extracted terminal functions include the video function, the music function and the camera function, the controller 100 generates shortcut icons of the extracted terminal functions, configures an idle screen with the generated shortcut icons, and then displays it on the display 103. The displayed idle screen can be shown as FIG. 3B. If there are terminal functions having an identical number of uses among the terminal functions, the controller 100 continues to display the existing idle screen, or the controller 100 reconfigures the idle screen by adding a shortcut icon of the newly updated terminal function, and then displays it on the display 103.

If there is no key input for selecting a terminal function through the key input unit 101 and there is a change in the current environmental state, the controller 100 checks an environmental state information item corresponding to the changed environmental state from the memory 104. The controller 100 extracts terminal functions corresponding to the checked environmental state information item by means of the memory 104. The controller 100 then generates shortcut icons of the extracted terminal functions, configures an idle screen with the generated shortcut icons, and then displays it on the display 103. However, if there is no change in the current environmental state, the controller 100 continues to display the existing idle screen.

The key input unit 101 has a key for selecting a predetermined terminal function, and a key for displaying an idle screen, and delivers key data corresponding to the key pressed by the user to the controller 100.

The state sensor 102 senses day and time information transmitted from the day and time information system, and weather information transmitted from the weather information system. The state sensor 102 includes a position sensing device such as Global Positioning System (GPS) for sensing positional coordinates of the user, and a sensor such as a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature. The state sensor 102, as described above in connection with the controller 100, can further include a sensor for sensing user state information such as mood, temperature and body condition of the user. Alternatively, the user can set the user state information. In an embodiment of the present invention, positional coordinates of the terminal sensed through the position sensing device can be set using a position name desired by the user, such as subway, office and home, as shown in FIG. 2.

The display 103 displays an idle screen configured with shortcut icons of the terminal functions.

The memory 104 stores at least one terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to multiple environmental state information items composed of at least one environmental state information.

With reference to FIG. 4, a detailed description will now be made of a procedure for analyzing terminal functions that a user intends to utilize, according to the environmental state at the terminal of FIG. 1, and for configuring an idle screen in accordance with a terminal use pattern of the user, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state is the current environmental state information item.

In step 400, the controller 100 keeps an idle state. In step 401, the controller 100 determines whether a terminal function is selected through the key input unit 101. If a terminal function is selected, the controller 100 proceeds to step 403, and otherwise, the controller 100 proceeds to step 402.

In step 403, the controller 100 updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the current environmental state information. In step 404, the controller 100 performs an operation for the selected terminal function. In step 405, the controller 100 determines whether there is a change in the current environmental state in the course of performing the operation for the selected terminal function. If there is a change, the controller 100 proceeds to step 406, and otherwise, the controller proceeds to step 407. In step 406, the controller 100 updates the ongoing terminal function in the terminal function item corresponding to the current environmental state information.

In step 407, the controller 100 determines whether an event for displaying the idle screen has occurred. If the event has occurred, the controller 100 proceeds to step 408, and otherwise, the controller returns to step 404 where it continuously performs the operation for the selected terminal function. In an embodiment of the present invention, the event for displaying the idle screen is a request for ending the operation for the selected terminal function.

The controller 100 extracts terminal functions corresponding to the current environmental state information in step 408, and generates shortcut icons of the extracted terminal functions in step 409. In step 410, the controller 100 configures an idle screen with the generated shortcut icons, and displays the idle screen.

In step 402, the controller 100 determines whether there is a change in the current environmental state. If there is a change, the controller 100 proceeds to step 407, and otherwise, the controller proceeds to step 411. In step 406, the controller 100 updates the ongoing terminal function in the terminal function item corresponding to the current environmental state information, and then performs steps 407˜410. In an embodiment of the present invention, the event for displaying the idle screen is a change in the current environmental state information.

In step 411, the controller 100 determines whether a terminal power is turned off. If the terminal power is turned off, the controller 100 ends the idle screen configuring procedure, and otherwise, the controller 100 returns to step 401 where it checks if there is a request for selecting a terminal function. Thereafter, the controller 100 performs steps 402˜411.

Although a description of the present invention has been made for a method of configuring an idle screen in the mobile communication terminal, however the proposed idle screen configuring method can be used in other terminals, such as a PC.

A terminal is provided that analyzes terminal functions that a user intends to utilize, according to the environmental state, and provides an idle screen suitable to a terminal use pattern of the user, making it possible to easily and rapidly provide the desired idle screen to the user without the user's need for configuring the idle screen.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. An apparatus for configuring an idle screen in a terminal, the apparatus comprising: a state sensor for sensing an environmental state; a memory for storing a plurality of environmental state information items each including at least one environmental state information, and a plurality of terminal function items each associated with a corresponding environmental state information item and comprising at least one terminal function; and a controller for determining an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing a selected terminal function, updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, determining an environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state from the memory when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, extracting one or more terminal functions of a terminal function item corresponding to the environmental state information item, and configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environmental state information comprises information indicating a surrounding environmental state, and includes at least one of weather information, temperature information, time information, day information, and position information.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function among the at least one terminal function included in the terminal function item when updating the selected function, and increases a number of uses of the identical terminal function when there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller adds the selected terminal function to the terminal function item if there is no terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function among the at least one terminal function included in the terminal function item.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when configuring an idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions, the controller generates shortcut icons of the extracted one or more terminal functions and configures the idle screen using the generated shortcut icons.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, when the terminal function is selected, the controller determines an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current environmental state, and performs an operation for the selected terminal function while updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, the controller determines an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current environmental state, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, when a change in the current environmental state is sensed, the controller determines an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the currently sensed environmental state, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, the controller determines an environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state from the memory, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein: the state sensor senses user state information; the memory stores each of the plurality of environmental state information items and each of the plurality of terminal function items so that they are associated with one of a plurality of user state information items each including at least one user state information; and when there is a change in a current user state while performing a selected terminal function, the controller determines a user state information item and a current environmental state item corresponding to the changed user state and the current environmental state, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state item and current environmental state item, and when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, the controller determines a user state information item and an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to a current user state and the current environmental state, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and environmental state information item, and configures an idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user state information includes at least one of a mood, a temperature and a body condition of the user.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when the selected terminal function is selected, the controller determines an environmental state information item and a user state information item corresponding to the current environmental state and the current user state, and performs an operation for the selected terminal function while updating the selected terminal function in the terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item and the determined user state information item.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, the controller determines a user state information item and an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the checked user state information item and environmental state information item, and then configures an idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when a change in the current user state is sensed, the controller determines a user state information item and an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item, and when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, the controller determines a user state item and an environmental state item from the memory corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state item and the determined environmental state information item, and configures an idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.
 14. A method for configuring an idle screen in a terminal, the method comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of environmental state information items each including at least one environmental state information, and a plurality of terminal function items each associated with a corresponding environmental state information item and each including at least one terminal function; performing a selected terminal function; when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state, and updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item; and when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, determining a current environmental state item corresponding to the currently environmental state, extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configuring the idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the updating comprises: determining whether there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function among the at least one terminal function included in the terminal function item; and when there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function, increasing a number of uses of the identical terminal function and storing a result.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: when there is no terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function among the at least one terminal function included in the terminal function item, adding the selected terminal function to the terminal function item, and storing the result.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring the idle screen comprises: configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing comprises: when the terminal function is selected, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state; and performing an operation for the selected terminal function while updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined current environmental state information item.
 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising: when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state; and extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: when a change in the current environmental state is sensed, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state; updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item; when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, determining an environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state; extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item; and configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.
 21. The method of claim 14, wherein the storing comprises: storing the plurality of environmental state information items and the plurality of terminal function items each comprising at least one terminal function so that each of the plurality of terminal function items and each of the plurality of environmental state information items are associated one of a plurality of user state information items including at least one user state information.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein checking an environmental state information item corresponding to the changed environmental state comprises: when a change in the current user state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, determining a user state information item and a current environmental state item corresponding to the changed user state and the current environmental state.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the updating comprises: updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state item and current environmental state item
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining a current environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state comprises: when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, determining a user state information item and an environmental state information item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the extracting comprises: extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and environmental state information item.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the performing comprises: when the selected terminal function is selected, determining an environmental state information item and a user state information item corresponding to the current environmental state and the current user state; and performing an operation for the selected terminal function while updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item and the determined user state information item.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising: when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, determining a user state information item and an environmental state information item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information; and extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item, generating shortcut icons of the extracted one or more terminal functions, and configuring the idle screen using the shortcut icons.
 28. The method of claim 24, further comprising: when a change in the current user state is sensed, determining a user state information item and an environmental state information item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state; updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item; when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, determining a user state item and an environmental state item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state; extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state item and the determined environmental state information item; and configuring the idle screen using the extracted terminal functions. 